Earth-auger



(N0 Model.)

H. M; PATTERSON. EARTH AUGER.

No. 537,992. Patented Apr. 23, 1895.

NITED STATE PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY M. PATTERSON, OF WVICHITA, KANSAS.

EARTH-AUGER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 537,992, dated April23, 1895.

Application filed October 12, 1893. Serial No.487,967. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY M. PATTERSON, a citizen of the United Statesof America, residing at Wichita, in the county of Sedgwick and State ofKansas, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Earth-Augers, of which the following is a specification, reference being hadtherein to the accompanying drawings, and the letters of referencethereon, forming a part of this specification.

My invention relates to earth angers adapted for. use as post-holediggers, andthe objects in view are to provide a simple, inexpensive,and efficient device adapted to cut and accumulate the loosened earth ina suitable pocket or inclosure, whereby when the pocket or inolosure isfilled the tool may be withdrawn from the hole to remove the soilwithout special manipulation, and without al-" lowing the soil to escapefrom the pocket or inclosure during the removal of the auger;

and, furthermore, to provide cutters which are adapted to penetrate andloosen the soil with facility, and at the same time serve as.

, claims.

In the drawings-Figure 1 is a perspective view of an anger constructedin accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the head ofthe auger showing the shank. Fig. 3 is a detail view of the blankforming the cutting and feeding blades.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures of the drawings.

I preferably use a plurality of cutting blades D which are struck,together with the connecting band D, from a single sheet or blank ofmetal, whereby the blades are integral with the band to avoid the use offastening devices to connect such parts. The upper and lower edges ofthe band are parallel, and at right angles to these parallel lines arethe frontor cutting edges P of the blades, said cutting edges beingbeveled, as shown'clearly in Fig. 3, and thecutting edge which is formedat one terminal of the blank being extended to the upper edge of theband, while the remaining cutting edges extend to the lower edge of theband. Small notches or cutso are made at the upper ends of the cuttingedges in the line of the lower edge of the band to separate said edgesfrom the band and allow them to project outward beyond the surface ofthe band when said band is bent into the segmental form shown in Figs. 1and 2 after application to the yoke F to which. it is secured. It isobvious that the curved or segmental. bending of the band D is thusaccompiished without affecting the extreme or cutting edges of the.blades, and thus the latter are allowed to stand out beyond the sur faceof the band, as shown .clearly in Fig. 2.

The rear edges of the blades are inclined or arranged at obtuse anglesto the line of the lower edge of the band, whereby the blades increasein width toward their upper ends or their points of junction with theband to brace the blades in the plane of the band, and hence in thedirection of strain during the rotation of the cutting head. The lowerextremities of the blades are blunt and terminate in edges which arebeveled upward from the cutting to the rear edges. This provides anacute angle at the lower extremity of the cutting edge to formpenetrating or feeding points.

After the bending of the band into the segmental form indicated in Fig.2 the lower extremities of the blades are curved inward towardtheirlower extremities, whereby the ad jacent edges of contiguous bladesconverge toward their lower ends, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This bringsthe lower extremities of the blades close to the axis of rotation of thehead with the abrupt lower extremities thereof co -incidental withtangents of a circle struck from the axis of rotation. Thus, the bladesare contracted in wid th toward their lower extremities, and theintervals between the front and rear edges of contiguous blades arecorrespondingly contractedor tapered toward the lower or feeding pointof the head, and hence in operation the entire length of each cuttingedge operates to cut the soil.

The length of the band is insufficient to form a complete circle of thediameter assumed for the head of the auger, and hence the extremitiesthereof are spaced apart a distance equal approximately to a quadrant,this space serving as an outlet through which the contents of thedownwardly tapered or conical pocket formed by the blades may bedischarged after the removal of the auger from the hole. The band isheld in the desired shape by means of the yoke F, which is provided atthe extremities of its arms with lateral ears E bearing against theinner surface of the band at diametrically opposite points, and issecured thereto by means of rivets or similar devices. A socket isformed at the center of the yoke into which is threaded the lowerextremity of a tubular shank B, and threaded upon the upper extremity ofthis shank is a T-coupling or elbow G into which is fitted the handle H.

The above described construction of the auger provides sharpened oracute angled feeding points at the lower ends of the cutting edges ofthe blades to insure rapid penetration of the blades, and as the soil iscut or loosened it is received in the pocket or receptacle inclosed bythe blades upon three sides, and, therefore, when the pocket has becomefilled the auger may be Withdrawn from the hole without causing thedischarge of its contents until turned with the open side downward, whenthe soil will fall out readily and without the use of auxiliary means toattain such object.

The downwardly tapered spaces between contiguous edges of the bladesprevent the loose earth from falling therethrough during the lifting ofthe auger, and when the auger is withdrawn from the top of the hole thesoil may be prevented from escaping prematurely from the dischargeopening in the side by holding such opening uppermost until the auger issuspended over the point at which it is desired to deposit the soil.

From the above description, it will be seen, furthermore, that theconstruction of the auger head is simple, the same comprising two parts,of which one is the series of blades integral with a common band, and ayoke by senses which the band is held in its operative position, andowing to this simplicity of construction the auger may be constructed ata minimum cost, and at the same time will possess the maximum strengthfor the materials employed.

It is obvious that various changes in the form, proportion, and theminor details of construction may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit or sacrificing any of the advantages of this invention.

Having described my invention what I claim is 1. An earth auger having asingle continuous segmental band separated at its extremities to form anoutlet opening approximately equal to a quadrant, and blades formedintogral with and depending from the lower edge of the band and curvedinward toward their lower extremities approximately to the center ofrotation of the head, said blades being tapered in width toward theirlower extremities, and the intervals between contiguous edges of theblades being correspondingly tapered toward the lower extremitiesthereof, substantially as specified.

2. An earth auger comprising a yoke provided with diametrically oppositearms, a continuous band of circular form having its ends separated adistance approximately equal to a quadrant, and blades depending fromand integral with said band and adapted to be struck from the same blanktherewith, said blades having beveled cutting edges arrangedperpendicular to the upper and lower edges of the band, rearwardly andupwardly inclined rear edges, and beveled lower extremities, wherebyacute angles are formed at the lower extremities of the cutting edges,said blades being curved inward or toward the axis of the head at theirlower extremities to form downwardly tapered spaces between theircontigu ous edges, substantially as specified.

HENRY M. PATTERSON.

Witnesses:

WM. J HUTcHINs, WM. 0. HUTCHINS.

